If you think this is some kind of secret military project going on behind the scenes at DARPA, you’d be wrong: these how-to flamethrower gloves are actually the product of the special effects and design team at J&M Special Effects, who were interested in coming up with a system that could shoot real flame from a stage or movie set performer’s hands with very real effect.

The guys at J&M note that the system is a prototype, and they’re not finished working on it: future iterations will be more compact and the hoses for the propellant will be streamlined and closer to the performer’s body so they can be hidden under clothing or a costume.

The end result looks amazing, with the flame literally erupting from the palms of the wearer’s hands. Hit the jump to see the full video.